Manufacture of leather substitutes



Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES RENE CLAVEL, or BASEL-AUGST, swiffinnmnn.

MANUFACTURE OF LEATHER SUBSTITUTES.

No llrawing. Application filed July 25, 1925, Serial Jim 46,176, and inFrance May 30, 1925.

The manufacture of. artificial leather or leather substitutes is limitedin general to the employment of chopped or comminuted leather wastetriturated or round together with incorporation ofa hinder, or tosuperficial treatment offinished fabrics of cotton or other fibres withvarnishes or coatings intended toimpart anappearance similar to that ofleather.

The process for the manufacture of artificial leather or leathersubstitutes which forms the subject of the present invention is appliedto threads, yarns or woven, knitted or otherfabrics of cellulose acetateor other cellulose esters, and is based rather upon a chemical than upona mechanical operation, in the sense that advantage is taken of theactivity of the cellulose esters for certain chemical agents, so asto-produce not only an appearance similar to that of leather, but alsoan excellent leather imitation from the point of view of structure.

The new process consists in treating the threads or yarns of celluloseacetate or other cellulose esters, in hank or other form, or webs orpieces of woven, knitted or other fabric made of such yarns or threads,in a liquid bath with phenolic bodies or derivatives such for example astannins, and bringing these bodies in the goods, preferably afterwashing or rinsing the goods, into reaction with suitable metalliccompounds (i. e. heavy metal compounds), such for example as metallicsalts or oxides. The fibre thus repared and partially modified, usuallyafter eing treated in a dyebath or otherwise colored according to theparticulancolour or shade desired, is submitted to a finishing ordressing operation to increase the gloss or the resistance to water 40of the artificial. leather or leather substitute. If desired the goodsmay be dyed or colored before being subjected to the process.

- The following example will serve to show how the invention may becarried out in practice, it being understood that this is given only byway of illustration and can be varied widely.

Example.

5 kilograms of acetyl cellulose in hank oifabn'c form are turned orworked for two I hours at 7 080 C. in a bath of 100 litres of a- 1%solution of tannin. This operation is followed by a short rinsing inordinary water and thegoods are then treated'in' a liquid or foam bathof a 3% solution of bismuth nitrate to which 150 com. of concentratedammonia has been added. This treatment is begun cold and the temperatureis gradually raised to 65' C. After aboutan hours treatment the goodsare removed from the solution and introduced into a cold 3% bath offerric chloride. After half an hour the goods are rinsed well with waterand dilute hydrochloric acid and are passed to a dyebath of a dye suitedto the par ticular shade desired. .After drying the goods are finishedby calendering them and according to requirements treatin them with afinishing or dressing solution or instance a solution of paraflin orother oil. In the technical application of the process it has been foundthat the salts and oxides of bismuth, zinc, silver and iron areparticularly suitable for obtainingthe desired leather effect, thischiefly by reason of the fact that 7 according to the process describedthey are, 1 capable of entering into chemical reaction with thecellulose ester.

The term heavy metal compounds used in the description and claims is tobe under: stood to include all metal compounds, particularly oxides andsalts, other than compounds of the alkali and alkaline earth metals.What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A process forthe manufacture of artificial leather, which comprises treatingcellulose ester material with phenolic bodies and subsequently treatingwith heavy metal compounds. v 2. A process for the manufacture ofartificial leather, which comprises treating cellulose ester materialwith phenolic bodies and subsequently. treating with heavy metal salts.

3. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose ester material with phenolic bodies and subsequentlytreating with a material selected from the group consisting of the saltsand oxides of silver.

4.. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose ester material with a tannin and subsequentlytreating with heavy metal compounds.

5. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose ester material with a tannin and subsequentlytreating with heavy metal salts.

6. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose ester material with a tannin and subsequentlytreating with a material selected from the group consisting of the saltsand oxides of silver.

7. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with phenolic bodies andsubsequently treating with heavy met-a1 compounds. I

8. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with phenolic bodies.

and subsequently treating with heavy metal salts.

9. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with phenolic bodies andsubsequently treating with a material selected from the group consistingof the salts and oxides of silver.

10. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with a tannin and subsequentlytreating with heavy metal com pounds.

11. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with a tannin and subsequentlytreating with heavy metal salts.

A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprisestreating cel lulose acetate material with a phenolic body, washing,treating with a heavy metal salt, and thereafter dyeing. 14. A processfor the manufacture of artificial leather, which comprises treatingcellulose acetate material with a tannin, washing, treating with asilver salt, and thereafter dyeing.

' 15. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather, whichcomprises treating cellulose acetate material with a phenolic body,washing, treating with a heavy metal salt, dyeing, and thereaftertreating with a finishing solution.

16. -A'-process for the manufacture of artificial leather, whichcomprises treating cellulose acetate material with a tannin, washing,treating with a silver salt, dyeing, and thereafter treating with afinishing solution.

17. Process for the manufacture of artificial leather which comprisestreating a fabric containing cellulose acetate in a bath containingsubstantially 1% of tannin at a temperature of about to 80 0., and thentreating the fabric in a bath containing a silver salt.

18. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather which com risestreating cellulose ester material wit phenolic bodies, subsequentlytreatin with heavy metal compounds and therea er subjecting to pressure.

19. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather which comprisestreating cellulose ester material with henolic bodies, subsequentlytreating with a substance selected from the group consisting of'thesalts and oxides of silver and thereafter subjecting to pressure.

20. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with phenolic bodies, subsequentlytreating with heavy metal com= pounds, and thereafter subjecting to acalendering operation.

21. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with a tannin, subsequently treatingwith heavy metal compounds and thereafter subjecting to a calenderingoperation.

22. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with a tannin, subsequently treatingwith a silver compound and thereafter subjecting to a calenderingoperation.

23. A process for the manufacture of artificial leather which comprisestreating cellulose acetate material with a tannin, subsequently treatingwith heavy metal compounds, dyeing and thereafter subjecting to acalendering operation.

24. Artificial leather composed of a celluloae ester, a phenolic body,and a heavy metal sa t.

25. Artificial leather composed-of cellulose acetate, a tannin, and asilver salt.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

RENE OLAVEL.

